Survivor Has Become Nymphomaniac, Says Bombay HC Denying Bail To Rapist

The Bombay High Court denied bail to a man accused of raping a girl repeatedly since she was 10 years old. The court said that the horrendous crime had turned the girl into a 'nymphomaniac.' The incident was discovered by the girl's father in 2021 when she was 17 years old. They found a diary written by her which described her ordeal. 

As per the reports, a single bench of Justice Prithviraj Chavan said that the crime "is not only shocking to the conscience of any prudent man but is also obnoxious. Due to such horrendous crime, the survivor has turned out to be a nymphomaniac." 

The judge quoted the 27-page long diary of the girl in his judgement and said, "words will fall short to describe her mental, psychological and physical state and the impact of the ordeal she had undergone at the hands of the accused."

How parents discovered the girl's diary and about the abuse

The parents of the survivor who lodged a complaint against the accused claimed that the accused and his wife took advantage of the fact that the survivor's father worked in Dubai. The parents found the diary when they rummaged the girl's room after she eloped with a boy. After reading about her ordeals, the parents immediately filed a complaint. 

Revealing shocking information, the survivor wrote that the accused had been raping her since she was in class 4th. He used to give her pills that sexually aroused her.

The diary also mentioned that the survivor had once tried to open up about her ordeal to her mother. However, due to social stigma, her mother didn't take her matter seriously.

Even though a special court had granted bail to the wife of the accused, the accused was held guilty. To challenge this order, he approached the high court. However, the high court was of the opinion that the wife was equally involved in the crime. She aided and abetted the illegal act. 

The court further said that in most cases of sexual abuse, the abuser is known to the survivor. The court concluded by saying that granting bail to the accused would aggravate the wounds that have been inflicted on the body, mind and soul of the survivor. 

Why the case is shocking

This case is indeed shocking and obnoxious. A girl being raped since the 4th standard by being fed pills to arouse her sexually shows the distorted mindset of the abuser. However, is labelling the survivor as a nymphomaniac right? Do women who survive sexual assault have unsatiated sexual desires? Aren't women who survive such crimes distance themselves from any sexual experience? It is like walking on the same path despite knowing about the dangers camouflaged in it. 

A gynaecologist shares her views on the case

Speaking to Dr Sudeshna Ray, the Medical Director of Gytree.com, said that it is quite unfair to call a rape survivor a nymphomaniac. She said that throughout her experience she has seen women who resist normal sex because of the history of sexual assault. Many women come with complaints of vaginismus and pain in the pelvic area that doesn't let them have healthy sex, But these issues again are traced back to childhood experiences of sexual assault.

Although Dr Ray mentioned that every woman has a different reaction to sexual assault, we cannot generalise nymphomania. She further added that not only the crime but also the way society treats women who have been through the crime affects the mentality of the women. Sometimes, the psychological pills that women survivors take can make them sexually aroused.  

Labelling the woman as a nymphomaniac, a negative term for women's sexual desires, is only a way to blame women for the assault they went through. Society will be compelled to ask- if a woman was a nymphomaniac, how can she be raped?

Views expressed are the author's own.